Boeing chief engineer says Dreamliner is safe to fly

Jan. 9, 2013
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Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner jet operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) moves down the runway at Narita Airport. Japan's All Nippon Airways said it cancelled a Boeing Dreamliner flight on January 9, 2013 because of a brake problem. / KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty Images

by Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY

by Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY

The chief engineer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner says he's "100% convinced that the airplane is safe to fly" despite a series of technical glitches in recent weeks.

"I want to reiterate that we continue to have extreme confidence in the787 airplane and the 787 ideas," Mike Sinnett, vice president and 787 chief project engineer, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Sinnett acknowledged, however, that "clearly there are issues." But none of those issues are devastating enough to make Boeing believe that the aircraft is unsafe, he said.

"Just like any new airplane program, we work through those issues â?¦ We're not satisfied until our reliability and performance is 100%," he said.

The Dreamliner, which has only been in operation for 15 months, has had a rough rollout. This week alone, three Dreamliners have had technical problems.

On Wednesday, All Nippon Airways canceled a Dreamliner flight because some brake parts needed to be replaced. On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines flight bound for Tokyo was preparing for take-off at Boston's Logan International Airport when a fuel leak was discovered.

And on Monday, a lithium-ion battery used to power another Japan Airlines Dreamliner when the engine is shut down while on the ground caught fire at Logan. The plane was empty and no passengers were injured.

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into both incidents at Logan. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is only looking into Monday's fire.

The incidents are a setback for Boeing, which has marketed the Dreamliner as the jetliner of the future.

The Dreamliner is the first commercial aircraft to be made largely of lightweight carbon composites rather than conventional aluminum and steel. The fuel- and cost-efficient planes have appealed to many airlines around the world and to United Airlines in the USA.

So far Boeing has delivered 49 planes and plans to provide airlines with about 800 more.

Problems started during production, causing multiple delays of the aircraft's first delivery to All Nippon. And last month, United and Qatar Airways had to divert or ground planes because of electrical issues on an aircraft that relies heavily on electricity.

Sinnett said Boeing chose to use an electric power system because it provides better fuel burn.

He said he could not specifically discuss Monday's fire because the NTSB is still investigating it. But he did offer that using a lithium-ion battery was the right decision because it is able to provide enough power for a plane that consumes so much electricity.

"The lithium-ion battery was the right choice given the constraints we had," he said. "It doesn't mean it was the only choice but it was the right choice."

Most other jets use nickel-cadmium or lead acid batteries. Noting that in a 2007 rule, the FAA set special safety conditions for the 787 batteries, including one that they be designed to prevent overheating.

"In general, lithium ion batteries are significantly more susceptible to internal failures that can result in self-sustaining increases in temperature and pressure," the FAA said. "The metallic lithium can ignite, resulting in a self-sustaining fire or explosion."

Sinnett said the company did install safeguards for overheating.

"We installed in the battery and airplane system multiple levels of protection to prevent that â?¦ battery from overcharging," he said.

Similarly, he said, there are safeguards for ensuring that the battery is not undercharged.

He said the company is not considering other types of batteries.

"I continue to be confident in the battery system," he said.

Sinnett also addressed other issues with the plane that have come up recently.

"We were surprised by several incidents in rapid succession," he said.

On Dec. 4, a United Airlines flight from Houston to Newark made an emergency landing in New Orleans after a power generator failed. A United flight on Dec. 17 also developed electrical issues. Qatar Airlines grounded one of its three Dreamliners on Dec. 13 because of concerns about the electronics.

He said the company is still in the middle of determining the root cause of those incidents but that it can be traced to a circuit board inside a power panel that was manufactured by an outside supplier.

He pointed out that only one of six primary generators on the plane was affected. "The loss of one channel represents no safety threat whatsoever," he said. "It's a capability that has sufficient redundancies."

Boeing has been able to fix at least one of the problems that has surfaced.

Last month, the FAA ordered inspections of all 787 Dreamliners in service in the U.S. to make sure that fuel-line connectors have been installed correctly following reports of two fuel leaks on Dreamliners operated by foreign airlines.

Sinnett said fuel couplings had been installed incorrectly in the manufacturing process. The planes have been inspected and technicians are now installing the couplings correctly.

"We understood what the root causes are," he said. "We make appropriate corrective action and we move on."

While the incidents have been an embarrassment for Boeing, some analysts say technical glitches during the first years of an aircraft are not uncommon.

"The 787 has undergone extensive testing, perhaps more testing than any other new aircraft in history," says Alan Bender, professor of aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "I believe these problems are still within the realm of 'typical' new airplane problems. We only need to go back a couple of years to see somewhat similar problems with the new Airbus A-380--another 'revolutionary' aircraft."

Also today, Japan Airlines spokeswoman Carol Anderson provided more details about Tuesday's fuel leak. She said the leak was in the left wing surge tank vent.

The plane returned to the gate when it was discovered that one of the four valves connecting the center tank and left main tank was opened and had resulted in fuel flowing from the center tank to the left main tank. The leak finally reached the surge tank near the wing tip and out the vent, she said.

The leak was fixed and the plane was cleared for take-off to Tokyo's Narita airport, where it will undergo a more detailed inspection, she said.